Regret
by Ilvryn E
Summary: [ONESHOT] Stress, confusion, anger, sympathy, envy and torment. A short walk leads to many different thoughts as a young 11 yearold Seto Kaiba is sure never to forget the day he ran from Gozaburo Kaiba, his adoptive father.


**Regret : One-Shot by Ilvryn E**

**A Yu-Gi-Oh! fan fiction**

**Starring Seto Kaiba**

This here is a one-shot I decided to do. About Seto and a rather eventful day when his adoptive father decides to take him out with him to a meeting in a restaurant. First person POV from Seto and blah blah blah. Gozaburo decides to let the limo drop him off a few blocks away from the restaurant to flaunt his fatherhood to help with any confusion you might have for a Kaiba _walking_. ((Cough)) Anyway…on to the fic.

Disclaimer: I WISH I owned YGO. ((Bows head in shame))

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It was already an exhausting day, and it was merely noon. I had stayed up all night studying the endless piles of books that I had yet to finish reading. History, Science, Chemistry, Algebra, English, Psychics, Economy, Geology, Physiology, Psychology, the list goes on with all the different subjects that would be pressed into my knowledge at my young age. I never asked for it. I regretted what I had gotten myself into that day at the orphanage.

I can still remember the look of shocking defeat in those dark eyes when I defeated the world champion at his own game. Those same eyes that took my brother and I to our living hell that waited us in the tunnel ahead. Back then we didn't know, or realize, what hardships lay ahead for the both of us. We hardly ever saw each other after we got to the mansion and our father planned to keep it that way. While I studied hard, my brother was kept locked in his room, and only allowed out when it was time for a meal, otherwise I couldn't think of a time I ever saw my brother.

My father's most trusted assistant stood over me every night during my hours of schooling and watched my every move, making sure I didn't fall asleep during studying. Whenever my head started to droop, his long ruler would snap on my books, and wake me up with a start. Each time his ruler snapped in disapproval, I glared at him in loath, as he looked down at me from his nose with a satisfied smirk on his face.

One day he would regret her ever knew the name _Seto Kaiba_.

I let out a frustrated sigh and quietly followed my adoptive father behind in an attempt to stay out of trouble. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at me and gave me a menacing glare. My eyes widened slightly but I turned my gaze back to the floor at my feet as we trudged along. It was one of those days where he would take me out whether he or I liked it or not, just to prove that he was an honorable man.

I snorted unknowingly at him being an _honorable man_ and again he turned to look at me, but this time I wasn't paying attention. My pace slowed as I watched carefree children in a toy store on my right. Laughter filled my ears, and longing filled my heart. I would never get that chance to be like them because I was too busy with studying that I hardly had time to sleep, let alone have or play with friends.

_Friends make you weak, Seto_

That man in front of me made sure I understood those words. I clenched my small fists in anger at my sides and glared at his back. The only thing I was grateful for now was he did not involve my brother, Mokuba, in this terrible mess he burdened me with. Mokuba would never have to go through the constant torture that he threw at me day in and day out. He was unknowing to the long sleepless nights, and the brutal beatings.

At that thought continued to grow and I grew more angry and stared in a trance, a blank stare on my face. In the short time I had already spent with Gozaburo, I had learned to hide my emotions and feelings, and I did it well at that. I didn't notice my surroundings until an alarmed cry brought me out of my reverie.

"Hey! Get back here!"

I quickly leaned to the left to look past my guardian's body after hearing the shouts. I nearly ran into his back as he suddenly stopped in front of me. I looked up at the back of his head angrily before turning my attention back to the event that was happening before my eyes.

Coming towards me was a girl, about my age, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Her dark auburn locks flew behind her and sparkled and her bright sky eyes flashed when she noticed someone in her path. Each rushing step she took brought her closer, and I had no intention in moving. In fact, I felt like tripping the girl from my angered state. She had obviously done something wrong, and was in trouble, but I couldn't bring myself to do something to stop her.

My father had other plans. As she tried to run past us without being noticed, he grabbed a fistful of her short auburn hair in his hands. She let out a cry of pain and surprise as he stopped her from going any further. Her fearful eyes shifted from the man that held her hair to me. Her frightened look tore at my insides and I regretted wanting to trip her. Now I wanted nothing more then to grab her hand and run away with her. So we could both get away from the cruel man that was torturing the both of us.

"Pathetic…" he sneered at the poor girl.

I noticed the tears that were falling down her face and her tightly shut eyes as she continued to claw at his grip in her hair. She let out small gasps and whimpers when he pulled her off her feet by her hair and dragged her back to the man that stood in shock in front of his vendor.

I watched helplessly as the old fool that was my father dragged the girl to the shocked man at the vendor. After a brief conversation between the two, he dropped the girl on her backside and she gave out a yelp. My eyes narrowed and I stared up at the two tall figures. My head started to pound and a headache found its way into my senses. The stress, the anger, and the torment that had had endured these past years finally came crashing down as I tore away and started running. I knew I was going to be in for a huge beating if he caught me.

_If_

That word clung to me as I ran as fast as I could, getting bewildered looks from the other pedestrians that were walking down the street carrying on with their normal lives. I noticed two brothers that entered the toy store and my pace slowed as I remembered the only thing that mattered to me was going to be left behind to the hands of the man that made our lives hell.

_Mokuba_

I cursed under my breath at my stupidity and regretted ever decided to bolt. I didn't want Gozaburo to take this out on my brother. If I was going to save him at all, I knew I had to go back. But how was I supposed to go back…to _that_ without getting the life beaten out of me.

My problem was solved when I ran into a man and I fell backwards on my backside. I slowly looked up until my eyes were staring into two familiar ones I grew to hate every night while I studied.

My adoptive father's assistant stood above me menacingly as a sinister smile broke out over his face. He took a silver cell phone out of his coat pocket and dialed a number. Waiting patiently for the person on the other line to answer.

I winced as I heard _his_ voice yelling on the other line. And I grew frightened at all the different types of things that he could put me through, but I knew I had to…for my brother's safety. I had promised to protect him, and I would, even if it meant going through more of the torture I was living through. Hell, I would go through it willingly if my brother would _never_ have to be hurt. Nobody would touch a hair on my brother's head if I had anything to say about it.

I heard him close his cell phone and put it back in his pocket, And I looked to the side and saw the same two brothers that caused me to stop.

The obviously younger brother was on the swing while the older pushed him higher. Squeals of laughter bubbled out of the younger boy's throat as his brother pushed him higher on the swing. The sun sent rays of warm sunshine on the two, as I was left in cold darkness as I sat on the freezing sidewalk watching in envy at their happiness.

My eyes started to wander at the other children that were having equal amounts of fun, whether they were running around playing tag or jump rope to the more calm board games or picking flowers. They all looked happy with wide smiles and dancing eyes in childish mirth.

I felt bitter and cold compared to the frolic of the children playing in the park and their glowing faces, without worries or troubles. They each had an aura surrounding them, depicting that they were the innocent angels of the earth.

But it was only the sun as it smiled down upon the laughter and cries of joy filtering throughout the park in affectionate praise.

I had no aura as I was put into a prison of dark abyss everyday at 'home', dreading the time when my father returned. What kind of child was terrified of a father? A father that was _supposed_ to care for you when you were hurt and love you unconditionally.

I was obviously that kind of child and no longer possessed that type of security.

I had hardly ever known any type of kindness, and the only time I had was the first six years of my life. I was always fond of the other kids after that, ones who had parents to run to. I noticed a crying girl run to her mother that had opened her arms like doors to her distressed child and hugged her tightly to her chest, telling her that it was all right.

"Seto!"

I turned my head to stare into the cold eyes of my guardian as they narrowed into slits at me. I scrambled up to my feet as quickly as I could to stand in front of him to face my punishment.

When Gozaburo reached me he grabbed my arm and hissed at me in a voice that I had grown to despise and fear.

"You are going to regret running away you little brat"

_I'm living in regret_.

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Whoo! There's a one-shot in Seto's point of view when he was younger. It's actually very sad, and I felt like crying a couple of times. ((Sniff)) Poor Seto…

Read and review please!

-Ilvryn E


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